NEW YORK — Count Villanova coach Jay Wright among those not in favor of the Big Ten hosting their postseason tournament at Madison Square Garden in 2018.
As an old-school Big East guy, Wright wants New York to belong to the Big East — and not any other leagues — during March.
“I would rather them not,” Wright told SNY.tv Tuesday night at the Jimmy V following the Wildcats’ 73-59 victory over Illinois. “I like when the Big East owns New York.”
He added: “I’m never worried about whether the Big East is better than anybody else, but we’re definitely different. This is our home. People in the Big East have been coming to the Garden for 30 years. We always do it, and we always will.”
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo — whose club will actually play in the Big Ten Tournament — also came out against the move to New York for 2018, primarily because of the potential for a two-week gap before the start of the NCAA Tournament.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t like that,” Wright said of the gap. “I wouldn’t like that.”
The Big East has a contract with the Garden that runs through the 2025-26 season.
“I just think times are changing,” Wright said. “This is our home and we do it here every year. It shows you how valuable that is, that everybody wants to get a piece of it. They’re going to get a piece, but this is our home.”
He added: “I just like it better when we’re the only one here, I don’t think it’s going to change anything. I think it’s just going to generate more excitement for college basketball here in New York. It’s hard to do, but I think it will.”
